I started a little leather shop. It is more to supplement income as I move into retirement. I also sell a few knives and "backwoods" supplies. I don't really sell much, but it is getting my money out of paper and into things I can sell or trade down the road. Anything you start up is going to use money for awhile until you get your tools and supplies built up. Good luck!

I have a couple of boys that don’t do well with direction from others, I set my oldest son ( now 32) up at 16 with a landscaping business ( lawn care- rototilling - snow plowing) and he took over the small service business (carpet cleaning - window washing- general clean up) that I had as a hobby and is doing well with both. Equipment start up costs were not too bad and we bought equipment as we needed to secure more jobs.

My 16 year old son has decided he wants to do graphic arts stuff and is doing well enough that he is making more than he would at a job outside the house. Equipment costs were not as bad as buying a dump truck but Macbooks and monitors are pricy.

I have been making a fair amount of money with weekend craft shows over the last few years, more of my girlfriends deal but seems I get to do most of the crafting and she keeps all of the profits. Keeping in mind that I have a thousands of dollars invested in good woodworking equipment and tools because it is a bit of a hobby for me and I enjoy the work. Big sellers are desk, floor and hanging lamps made out of gas pipe, I don’t get it but we sell them as fast as I make them at prices that allow for really good margins. The lamps require very little investment in tools or materials and can be sold online with very little effort if the craft shows are not your thing.

I have worked from home since the late 90’s and have a flexible schedule so sometimes I will pick up an odd job repairing something for a small amount cash, always someone with a broken something. I turn down more jobs than I take and typically just help out older folks that can’t afford the crazy prices or are physically unable to do the work themselves. Most of my repair business comes from accounts my son already has so I don’t need to market the service.

Up until my accident and becoming disabled, since I was a teen I worked more than one job. Always a steady day job and always ran some kind of business on the side as well. Always thought people that only worked one job were lazy, I was born a work-a-holic though.

In my previous life in a large city I dumpster dove and sold all kinds of things for almost 100% profit most of the time. I lived near and attended one of the largest college campus's in the country. Dumpster diving was as much a art as a skill, it payed lots of bills and I learned a lot. These days I work estate items when time allows. Lot more money up front and very little return depending on my volume but money is money. I really enjoyed DD'ing because I could do it when I wanted to, it was low cost and I felt good keeping useful items out of the landfill!

I've talked to several guys who work leather as a side gig, their main complaint with it is the amount of waste you get with stuff like holsters and sheaths. I know several guys at my current job who detail cars on their off day and make enough to pay some of the bills.

I think the most fun thing I did to make "extra" cash was buy larger lots of Swiss Army knives, clean them up and sell them at shows. I made all my money back in the first show and grew from there. I culled out the unique ones that I wanted to keep for myself and sold the rest. I had a lot of happy customers and after awhile guys started seeking me out for parts and repairs since I had the stuff on hand as well. Met a lot of interesting people and heard a lot of interesting stories specifically about SAKS. Most social fun I think I've had really when dealing with customers.

Whatever you try remember to keep low liability and low entry cost. Flexible time commitments is also nice, if you take up something like goats you'll find that between the milking and the farmers market you've shot all your free time in the foot.

Me and the mrs. Sell our 4 salt free seasoning blends 2 bbq sauces blueberry pound cakes lemon curd and cinnamon pickles (in season) well sell yr round and do pretty well actually so well that i havent been back to work i over 2 yrs

If you do start a in home business, you should think about purchasing business owners insurance. Your homeowners policy does not cover an business activity and in the even of a loss the claim could be denied because of the business sales. Talk to your agent if this is something your thinking about doing, some policies will cover your "business" as long as your sales figures stay under a certain threshold per year.

I made and sold maple syrup for seven years until it got too difficult and needed too much investment. I had a FFL for several years and ordered firearms and took delivery for a small fee. I gave it up but I know a guy who just takes delivery of ordered firearms for a $25 fee and makes $100 to $200 a week in a rural area.

I buy a lot of my stuff from thrift, surplus, and used outdoor gear stores. I always keep an eye out for stuff being sold below market value that I can flip on Craigslist or eBay, often it will be because the sellers simply don't know what they have. This used to be much easier before everyone figured out how to research and check prices online before they priced stuff but there are still deals to be had. I don't make much money but I am just trying to subsidize the gear that I keep from those places more then anything and it lets me pass on good deals to friends and family that don't have the patience or time to bargain shop like me.

Selling stuff like this requires very little monetary investment but LOTS of time, not so much on the shopping side but if you don't spend an hour or two a day keeping tabs on what stuff is selling for you won't know what to buy and will either be stuck with selling at a loss or missing out on the good deals.

I sell on Amazon, buy items from China, bring ship them to Amazon's warehouse, list them on Amazon, and Amazon does the rest, which includes shipping, packaging, returns.... about 30% ROI after all costs are taken into account.

My wife sells makeup and leggings (that's the new code word for super tight sweatpants that are hideous,) and makes good money doing it. She also sews a lot, mostly weighted blankets and vests for special needs children, but occasionally she'll make dresses or shirts by special order. When I bought her the sewing machine, we didn't even know how to thread it, but there have been times it's paid most of our bills. Not bad for a sub $200 machine.

I help folks fix vehicles, small engines and with general homestead things like fencing, firewood, and livestock. I also make things from wood that sell really well, primarily toys because I have a small shed to work in, and even if I had a warehouse I wouldn't have the patience to build furniture or cedar strip canoes (though I wish I did.). I also work 4 days a week and she works the other 3 at regular jobs. We don't always have the time together I wish we did, but for the first time in my life I'm not working 2 or 3 jobs and we are able to handle our family expenses and also home school the kids. That alone is worth the work.

When I got laid off, I put into place a set of plans I had made prior to leaving the military.

I started writing. Make no mistake, this was 5 or 6 days a week, 6 or more hours a day. My inspiration was Robert E. Howard.

I had multiple novels on the market in less than 3 years. These cover multiple genres The cool thing is I sell them thru Amazon. They just deposit the $ in the bank and send me a monthly accounting. Tax record are even provided - all a very supportive venture.

Not quite a once and done, but it is something that keeps paying. Long after the story first hits the market.

This effort led to a very well paying gig, and so it worked out even better.

Cost. My time - already had the PC and software. Amazon even provides the software to convert the RTF file to MOBI files.

The bonus - it was, for the most part, good fun. The copy editing is the real chore.
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